Hacker News Reader

IMO it's more to do with how nobody can afford to piss off the US so much.

@PanickedOmlette: You're hellbanned; don't ask me why, I just read HN with the option to see dead users.

Regarding your post, you're wrong about the MEP salaries:

Article 10 of the new Statute sets the amount of the MEPs salary as 38,5 % of the basic salary of a judge at the Court of Justice of the European Communities, thus currently €7,665 before tax.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//...

Besides, I'm pretty sure the EP doesn't rule over the airspace of the member states.

If I'm correct the €30k figure refers to the budget they get to spend of which a large percentage gets spent on (relatively) frivolous expenses.

Yes, the US can threaten every EU nation individually, with the help of the remaining EU nations. The punishment is isolation and it's called playing nations off against each other. It's a nice game theory thingy.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com